Author: admin

ARMENIAN LEADER URGES BETTER CONTENT ON TV AND RADIO

168 Zham
Feb 21 2009
Armenia

Is he discontent?

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had a working meeting yesterday
[20 February] with Grigor Amalyan, the chairman of Armenia’s National
Commission on TV and Radio. Sargsyan shared recently voiced public
concerns [ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan’s recent complaints about the
poor quality of TV and radio broadcasts] over the quality of TV and
radio broadcasts and emphasized the need for qualitative changes.

He also regarded as important legal reforms, which would regulate
the sphere, and expressed his readiness to promote that process, a
statement issued by the presidential press service said. He suggested
Amalyan propose a format that will provide an opportunity for civic
and public entities to influence the content component of TV and
radio companies’ activities.

TURKEY SEES LOOMING ARMENIAN RESOLUTION IN U.S. AS A RISK FACTOR

Hurriyet
March 3 2009
Turkey

Turkey warned that a legislation that would recognize the Armenian
claims regarding the 1915 incidents could harm Turkey-U.S. relations
as well as the normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan.

"Such a development would effect Turkey-U.S. relations. It may harm the
ongoing process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It hits Turkey-Armenia
relations as well," Babacan told Aksam daily late on Sunday en route to
Egypt, where he attended an international donors’ conference on Gaza.

Armenian lobby organizations have increased theirs efforts to
have their claims regarding the 1915 incidents recognized in the
U.S. Congress. During the election campaign, President Barack Obama
had pledged to recognize the Armenian claims.

"I am not mentioning a threatening rhetoric. I do not like this at
all. We are talking to them (Americans) honestly," Babacan was quoted
as saying by Aksam on Tuesday.

He said Turkey and Armenia, which target full normalization, have
never been this close to resolving the problems between them since
1915, adding that the countries should not miss this chance.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and their border
has been closed for more than a decade, as Armenia presses the
international community with the backing of the diaspora to admit
the so-called "genocide" claims instead of accepting Turkey’s call
to investigate the allegations, and over Armenia’s invasion of 20
percent territory of Azerbaijan.

A warmer period began in relations when Turkish President Abdullah
Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan in September to watch a World
Cup qualifying football match between the two countries. Both have
been holding contacts at the ministerial level since.

Babacan said a Turkish delegation has been holding talks with the
U.S. officials in Washington and will continue their meetings in
the coming weeks, adding the issue would also be discussed when
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Turkey on March 7.

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS PROTECTION AND RECONSTRUCTION ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.03.2009 21:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Holding the rotating presidency in the BCES, Armenia
will host "Protection and reconstruction of cultural and historical
monuments of BSEC countries" round table discussions on March 4 and 5.

Establishment of "Cultural News of Black Sea Region" periodical will
be officially announced during the event, which will bring together
representatives from the Organization’s member countries.

Besides, "Cultural Mosaic" exhibit will open in the Armenian National
Art Gallery and "Cloudless sky above the Black Sea" children’s works
exhibition will be held in the National Esthetic Center.

ARTSAKH HPP TO MAKE FIRST IPO IN ARMENIA

ARKA
March 3, 2009

YEREVAN, March 3. /ARKA/. The Artsakh HPP OJSC will make the first
initial public offering (IPO) to the amount of 3.45bln AMD in Armenia.

The Armenbrok OJSC, consultancy and underwriter for the issue,
reported that Artsakh HPP will issue 3,285,715 shares, the nominal
value of one share being 1,050 AMD.

The funds will be directed to the construction of three small
hydro-power plants in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), on the
River Tartar. The new HPPs will satisfy 85% of the NKR’s energy needs.

The IPO is part of the reforms being implemented by the NKR Government
in the energy sector and aimed to ensure the country’s energy security
and independence.

The issue of shares on the Armenian market is the first, unprecedented
large-scale public investments program. The program allows residents
and foreign citizens and organizations to effectively invest spare
funds and enjoy all the rights and privileges.

The issue will be floated in conformity with the Armenian
legislation. The prospectus is to be registered by the Central Bank
of Armenia (CBA). After the issue has been completed, the company
will apply to the NASDAQ OMX Armenia for listing of its shares.

The Artsakh HPP OJSC is one of the leading energy-generating companies
in the NKR., which currently satisfied 40-6- per cent of the country’s
energy needs. The company generates energy by means=2 0of Sarsang
Hydro. The designed capacity of the HPP is 5MW, its annual energy
output being 60-140mln kwh.

The Armenbrok OJSC is one of the leading specialized investment
companies on the Armenian capital market. It launched its activities 14
years ago. The company provides the full range of investment services,
including the placement of securities and business consultations. The
company’s total capital exceeds 1.1bln AMD.

BORDYUZHA: CSTO CRDF NOT TO INTERFERE INTERNAL CONFLICTS OF CSTO MEMBER-STATES

ArmInfo
2009-03-02 12:39:00

ArmInfo. Collective Rapid Deployment Forces [CRDF] of Collective
Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] will not interfere in internal
conflicts of the CSTO member-states, CSTO Secretary General, Nikolay
Bordyuzha, said in Yerevan today when replying to the question about
the reaction of the CSTO in case of Azerbaijan’s aggression towards
Nagornyy Karabakh.

‘I would not connect creation of the CSTO CRDF with the local conflicts
at the territory of the CSTO member-states. At the same time I can
name dozens of cases when these forces will be applied.

Anyway, final decision will be made by the presidents of the CSTO
member-states’, – he said.

As a sample, Bordyuzha mentioned power changing in Kyrgyzsran several
years ago. ‘In such cases when we have internal contradiction in one
of the CSTO member-states, we shall not interfere. Moreover, we shall
not localize protest of masses in any of the CSTO member-states’, –
Bordyuzha concluded.

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Armenians in mass rally to mark deadly clashes

March 1, 2009

YEREVAN (AFP) – Thousands of opposition supporters defied the Armenian
authorities Sunday to rally on the first anniversary of the country’s
deadliest political clashes since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet
Union.

More than 10,000 people gathered for the rally in central Yerevan,
which the authorities had refused to sanction, carrying placards
reading "Free Political Prisoners" and "For Early Elections", an AFP
correspondent reported.

Opposition leader and former president Levon Ter-Petrosian told the
crowd he would not give up his fight against President Serzh Sarkisian
and would use "constitutional means" to force early elections.

"After a year, despite total pressure from the authorities, the people
are instead stronger and ready to continue the struggle."

Ten people, including two police officers, were killed last March 1
when street battles broke out as police moved to disperse thousands of
Ter-Petrosian supporters. Dozens more were injured in the clashes,
many from gunshot wounds.

Opposition supporters had been rallying for 11 days to denounce
Sarkisian’s win in a February election where Ter-Petrosian finished
second in the vote.

Protesters called Sunday for the release of dozens of people jailed
following the unrest, including a former foreign minister and several
other senior opposition leaders who are still on trial.

"I came here today because I want justice," said one of the
protesters, 57-year-old Siran.

"I want those responsible for this tragic event and for the deaths of
these 10 people to be punished. The government refuses to punish them,
so it should go," she said.

Protesters later marched through Yerevan to the area near the French
embassy where the clashes took place, before laying flowers and
dispersing peacefully.

Ter-Petrosian said another anti-government rally would be held on May 1.

Dozens of Armenian police kept a close eye on Sunday’s rally but made
no move to interfere. Police said Friday they would allow the
protesters to gather peacefully but warned they would react harshly to
any unrest.

Sarkisian’s press service said in a statement that the president had
lit a candle in a church Sunday in memory of the victims of the
clashes.

New York-based Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused Armenia of
conducting "politically motivated" trials against the opposition while
failing to investigate the use "excessive force" by police during the
clashes.

Analysts have warned that Armenia remains politically unstable and
that potential losses of thousands of jobs due to the global economic
downturn could spark further turmoil.

A mountainous country of about three million people wedged between
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey, Armenia has seen repeated
political violence and post-election protests since gaining
independence with the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

Armenia’s next parliamentary election is due in 2012 and a
presidential vote in 2013.

FOUR VERSIONS OF MHERYAN’S MURDER

Lragir.am
17:55:22 – 27/02/2009

The assassination of the Deputy Chief of the Police Gevorg Mheryan was
a blow both to the Police and to the State and its revelation is a
matter of honor for the Police and the State, told the reporters the
Chief of the Police Alik Sargsyan on February 27 noting that the
investigation of that crime is under his personal control and a group
of professionals work on it. Alik Sargsyan did not go into details
about the process of investigation noting that they work on 4 possible
versions of the case and they need a little time. Alik Sargsyan did not
say when he is going to hold the next press conference but extended
hope that during the next conference he will have more concrete
information and will be able to say which of 4 versions is excluded and
which one they focus their attention on. Alik Sargsryan ensured that
they will do everything to reveal the case as it is a matter of honor
for them.

By the way, he also asked time for revealing the violations towards
reporters when one of the reporters said that the revelation of
violations against reporters is a matter of honor for them. Alik
Sargsyan said that no violation against reporters will remain
unrevealed just a little time is needed.

Iran set to build more nuclear plants

press tv
Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:24:21 GMT

Deputy Head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in
Iranian Parliament, Esmaeil Kowsari
Iran’s authorities are determined to launch more nuclear power plants
across the country, a prominent Iranian parliamentarian has stated.

"The start up of the Bushehr nuclear power plant made clear that the
Iranian government and nation have an indomitable spirit for progress
towards utilization of new energy sources," deputy head of the National
Security and Foreign Policy Commission in Iran’s Parliament, Esmaeil
Kowsari, said in an exclusive interview with IRNA News Agency on
Saturday.

The Iranian lawmaker highlighted that following the victory of the
Islamic Revolution in Iran, western states rescinded their contracts
under which they were liable to construct and complete the Bushehr
plant. The pre-commission of the Bushehr nuclear power plant,
nevertheless, made clear that Iran relies upon its professionals and is
resolved to set up other nuclear plants elsewhere in the country.

Iranian technicians walk outside the reactor building of Bushehr
nuclear plant.
"The Bushehr plant will generate some 250 megawatts of electricity by
September 2009 and another 250 megawatts by the end of next Iranian
year (ending March 21, 2010)," he said.

The Iranian nation under the visionary leadership of the late Imam
Khomeini struggled for control of the country’s infrastructure – a
matter earlier assumed by outsiders. Foreign firms, in return,
repudiated their projects with an aim to indicate they are not
committed to their contractual obligations.

Kowsari noted that Iran intends to build the 360mw Darkhoein nuclear
power plant in the south of the country through domestic technical
know-how.

A Russian technician works in the control room of Bushehr nuclear power
plant.
Iran on Wednesday pre-commissioned its Bushehr nuclear power plant at a
ceremony attended by the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization
Gholam Reza Aghazadeh as well as the head of Russia’s state nuclear
company, Sergei Kiriyenko.

Pre-commissioning is an important step before the actual commissioning
of the power plant located in Iran’s southwest.

The West remains critical of Russia’s involvement in building Iran’s
first nuclear power plant. Moscow says the plant is purely civilian and
cannot be used for any weapons’ program.

Russia last year completed delivery of nuclear fuel to the station
under a total contract estimated to be worth about USD 1b.

Moscow says the plant poses no proliferation risk, as Iran will return
all spent fuel rods to Russia.

The West accuses Iran of covertly seeking to build nuclear weapons,
something Tehran denies. The Islamic Republic of Iran insists its
nuclear activities are merely aimed at generating electricity in a bid
to meet its soaring energy demand.

AKIpress News Agency (Kyrgyzstan)
February 25, 2009 Wednesday

Almost half of Russians condemn their Government for assistance to CIS
countries

Almost half of the Russian population (49%) believe that the
Government should spend funds to support its own economy in crisis,
instead of providing assistance to other countries, according to the
findings of the poll conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion
Studies Center on February 14-15, reported Lenta.ru.47% of respondents
described anti-crisis loans extended by Russia to its states-allies as
"non-refundable spending". 40% of respondents said these funds are
investments that will bring many benefits to Russia in future.Since
late 2008 the Russian authorities have extended stabilization loans to
several allied states, including former CIS countries. Belarus and
Kyrgyzstan received $2US billion, Armenia – $500US million. Russia
also extended funds to Cuba.In early February Eurasian Economic
Community member states made a decision to set up the joint
anti-crisis fund worth $10US billion. Russia will contribute $7US.5
billion for this fund.

PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL MONUMENTS IN BSEC COUNTRIES TO BE DISCUSSED IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.02.2009 20:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A number of cultural events will be launched in
Yerevan on Mar. 4 within the framework of Armenia’s chairmanship in
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization. Round table discussions
on preservation of historical monuments in BSEC will be organized by
the Ministry of Culture.

The following BSEC member states will participate in the discussion:
Bulgaria, Turkey, Armenia, Greece, Romania, Russia, Serbia and
Georgia. From Mar 4-11 an exhibition and a screening of documental on
preservation of historical monuments will be conducted in the National
Gallery of Armenia. Armenia’s National Esthetic center will host a
"Cloudless sky above the Black Sea" exhibition featuring the drawings
of children from BSEC member states.